Saskatchewan’s EI recipients for April down from March

In April, for all of Canada, 538,400 people received regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, down slightly from the previous month (-4,900 or -0.9%).

The number of EI beneficiaries decreased in five provinces in April, most notably in Ontario (-2.4%), British Columbia (-2.2%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (-2.0%). There were also fewer beneficiaries in Saskatchewan (-1.7%) and New Brunswick (-1.5%). On the other hand, the number of recipients increased in Alberta (+1.2%) and Prince Edward Island (+1.0%). Little change was observed in the remaining provinces.

On a year-over-year basis, the total number of EI beneficiaries in Canada was up by 12,400 or 2.4%, mainly as a result of increases that occurred early in the summer of 2015.

EI beneficiaries in Saskatchewan numbered 16,400 in April, a 1.7% decrease from the previous month. Declines occurred throughout the province, including Regina (-2.4%) and Saskatoon (-1.1%). In the 12 months to April, the number of beneficiaries in Saskatchewan increased by 26.9%.